


we raise our cups

by narcissacronin



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Gen, inspired by we raise our cups from hadestown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-24 18:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissacronin/pseuds/narcissacronin
Summary: based on “we raise our cups from” hadestown
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	we raise our cups

The Dread Warden’s voice boomed throughout the decimated city, his words filling every corner. Nova sat listening on a rooftop blocks away from where a make-shift podium had been set up in front of what remained of Renegades Headquarters.

Behind him stood the remaining members of the Council, as well her team. A small crowd was gathered in front, a mixture of Renegades and citizens. Nova scanned the group once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of Adrian. But he wasn’t there.

Of course he wasn’t there.

He was dead and Nova knew it, though she’d yet to come to terms with it.

Adrian had been one of the many to die in what the Council was starting to refer to as the Final Battle for Gatlon. His death had been one of the last when an Anarchist had exploded a building as the battle neared an end, killing themself as well many others who had been within a few feet of it.

The battle had raged on for almost a week. Anarchists and other gang members had come out of hiding to fight against the Renegades. Early on, Nova removed herself from either side, doing what she thought was best for the people of Gatlon—which usually ended up benefiting the Renegades. On the last day of the battle, Nova had taken to the shadows, afraid of what would happen to her afterward. Everyone knew she was Nightmare but were far too worried with the fighting to be concerned about her, especially when she showed to be helping their cause. Still, she decided to hide for the meantime, at least until she figured out their stance on her.

The Dread Warden stopped mid-sentence, choking on his words. . He glanced back at Tsunami and Thunderbird, who nodded and whispered something to him. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the crowd and began to speak once more.

“As I was saying, in the past week, almost all of us have lost someone we were close to. Personally, I lost my oldest son...and—and my husband. Fellow Council member, Evander Wade, was also lost in the battle.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Tomorrow will be our day of mourning. But the day after, we’ll start rebuilding Gatlon in honor of those who passed. And we’ll need all the help we can get that, so, if you are able, please volunteer. Every little bit helps.”

He went on to speak of people who had largely helped the Renegades cause, thanking each of them for their service. Nova’s mind started to wander back to Adrian, ignoring the Dread Warden’s speech.

“And there is one more person I would like to thank, Nova McLain, also known as Nova Artino. I’m sure most of you know by now that she was Nightmare, posing as a Renegade. But she did good deeds during the battle, saving quite a few lives. And I believe that, deep down, she was a good person. My son loved her greatly, and for that, I’ll always be indebted.”

Nova held back a sob. The street below her blurred, his words echoing throughout her mind. Bringing her more pain than comfort.

Behind him, Danna leaned towards to Ruby and Oscar and appeared to be whispering to them. Nova quickly snapped her gaze back to the Council, unable to look at her ex-team without her emotions going into overdrive.

“A body was never found,” the Dread Warden continued, “and we have reason to believe that she is still alive. So, Nova, if you’re listening to this, we want you to know that you’re welcome here.” He glanced up at the sky, and for a second, Nova thought he was staring at her. “And we’d love to have your assistance in bettering Gatlon. Wherever you are, we wish you the best.”

Something flashed in the corner of her. Heart fluttering, she turned around quickly. There was a small swarm of monarch butterflies fluttering behind her.

Nova clapped a hand over her mouth in hopes of stifling her sobs. She quickly glanced down at the podium and noticed that Danna wasn’t there.

Within a few moments, more butterflies swarmed around her. They cycloned, wings becoming a blur, before materializing into the shape of a girl.

Danna stepped towards Nova, sitting beside her.

“Danna,” Nova began slowly, not fully trusting her shaky voice, “if you’re here to talk about what happened before the battle, I’m not ready yet. I truly am sorry for my actions but—”

“That’s not what I came to talk about,” Danna said. “I came to check on you. We saw you sitting on the roof, and began to think the worst.” She paused. “Are you okay?”

Nova nodded slowly though she wanted to scream that she wasn’t. In the past week, she lost almost everyone that ever meant anything to her and it was starting to take a toll. No matter how many times she told herself that she was better off without the Anarchists, she’d always think back to how they’d cared for her when she was younger. Though, looking back, she realized they had been grooming her to become the perfect Anarchist. Yet, a small part of her still missed them.

Once the remaining Anarchists had realized they weren’t going to win, they surrendered. All were neutralized on the spot. After that, Nova wasn’t sure what happened to them.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “No. I’m not okay. This past week has been a lot and I just need to get away from Gatlon. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to stay in the city. There are just...so many bad memories here.”

Danna was silent for a long moment. “Then why don’t you?”

Nova reeled back in surprise. For whatever reason, that had never really crossed her mind. “But I can’t,” she said softly, her voice barely audible above the Dread Warden’s, who was now going over the plans to reconstruct Gatlon.

“What’s tethering you here? I’m sorry, but the Anarchists are all gone and so is Adrian. Plus, you don’t seem too keen on working with the Council. So, answer this for me: Why?”

Nova hesitated. “I—I’m not sure. It’s all I’ve ever known, and I’m scared to leave it behind.” Nova sighed, swiping at her tears. “Besides, I still have you, and Oscar and Ruby—assuming you still want to be around me. Which I completely understand if you don’t—”

“Nova, just calm down. I can’t really speak for Ruby and Oscar, but I’m starting to forgive you.” Danna’s gaze softened. “You should do what’s best for you. And, in my opinion, that’s leaving Gatlon for good. It’s obviously doing you no good to stay here. Besides, we could keep in touch. It’s not like you’d be abandoning us forever.”

Nova nodded slowly, words feeling thick on her tongue. They fell into silence, listening to the speech Thunderbird was giving about how counseling for all who needed it would be made available through the Renegades soon.

But Nova wasn’t listening. Instead, she found her mind wandering to Adrian and her parents, wishing they were with her now.

Finally, Danna spoke again. “They’re going to start wondering where I’m at soon, so I better get going. Do you want to come with me?”

Nova hesitated. While part of her knew it would be a mistake—that it would too much attention—there was a small voice in the back of her mind that said it would be a mistake not to go with Danna. That everything would work out in the end.

Stifling that voice, Nova shook her head. “No.” She took a deep breath, quickly blinking away the oncoming tears. “No, I think I’ll stay here for a while. Then maybe...maybe I’ll take your advice and leave Gatlon for good.” She turned to look at Danna, smiling softly. “Thank you, Danna.”

“For what? I’ve hardly done anything to help you.”

“You’ve done more than you know.”

Danna scrambled to her feet. “Goodbye, Nova,” she murmured.

Nova struggled to find the words, instead waving at her. Danna waved at her before transforming back into a swarm of butterflies and headed towards the crowd.

Nova watched with tears streaming down her cheeks as Danna reformed beside Oscar and Ruby, leaning in close to whisper to them.

Long after the speeches ended and everyone left, Nova remained on the rooftop. She lay on her back, mapping out the ever familiar constellations. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought back to the library stake-out, and how Adrian had asked her about her interests. How she longed for more little moments like that, ones she would never share with him again.

There on that rooftop, Nova began to realize that Adrian was the first person in a long time to truly care for her. He loved her and there was no ulterior motive. She longed to be held by him again. To bury her face in his chest and smell the familiar pine scent that she had grown to love. To feel his lips against her skin and his gentle touches. To be held close in his arms and feel like nothing could harm her so long as it was just her and Adrian Everhart.

Nova found herself dwelling over his last words to her, uttered less than an hour before the explosion.

_ I love you, Nova. _

She had freaked out, unsure of her feelings and not wanting to say it back if she didn’t really mean it. But now, she recognized that what she felt was love.

At the first sign of dusk, she whispered, “I love you, too, Adrian,” to the open air, her words lost in a gust of wind.


End file.
